Dress Rehearsal
by schokocrossie
Summary: For the first time Bella is starring in a play. And for the first time Bella's got relationship troubles. In love just as in the play the dress-rehearsal must go awfully wrong, for the premiere to go swimmingly, doesn't it? AU/AH


**Dress Rehearsal**

For the first time Bella is starring in a play. And for the first time Bella's got relationship troubles. In love just as in the play the dress-rehearsal must go awfully wrong, for the premiere to go swimmingly, doesn't it? AU/AH

**Chapter 1 – Where Bella fights with pea-slobber and gets to be a maid**

It gets autumn in Forks – Washington. The leaves were turning red and yellow, the air gets chilly and -platsh- peas were plummeting onto the sidewalk.

Sighing Bella swiped the broom to remove the slippery and therefore hazardous masses. It was nearly a daily task since they moved. Moving had been necessary. While their old two-bedroom/ one bath house had been sufficient just for Bella and her father Charly there was no way the addition of his new wife Sue and her son Seth would fit in there as well.

Sadly the new house -despite having the required dimensions- was in acute need of renovations- a task which drew on the whole newly formed family. The new house was also blessed with plenty of fruits. Not only an apple tree was in the garden, but also each three pea and three plum-trees. And since neither Sue, nor Bella were in the mood to burden themselves with additional work to bake endless cakes for the refrigerator the aim was only to remove the mush not to salvage it.

The driveway, as well as the sidewalk finally looked presentable again and Bella went inside to get ready. Sadly the only working bathroom was occupied.

"Just do your pirate's beam.", Sue tried to convince Seth to get to the toilet. The first step to get ready to bed. Unfortunately Seth was well aware of this fact, which is which the task required a tricky balance of minor force and endless patience.

"Hey may I just wash my hands?", Bella asked, just as Sue sighed exasperated.

"Boy, you should piss into the toilet not beside it. A pirate should have a better aim."

Bella chuckled and got into the room washed her hands and brushed her hair. She was just putting it in a neat new ponytail as she heard tires screeching in the driveway followed by a load honking.

"That's Alice, gotta go!", she shouted to Sue who just nodded, ran to get her backpack and raced down the stairs. And into the passenger seat of the yellow VW Beetle, where her best friend was tapping impatiently onto the steering wheel.

"Where going to be late!", she accused.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Well hello Alice, my dear friend. It is _so_ nice to see you, too."

Alice rammed the car into reverse and hastily backed out onto the street. She sighed.

"Hello Bella.", she smiled brightly to Bella, but instantly scowled again and added. "We're going to be late!"

"With you're driving? I don't think so. Besides you already have planned on spare time to chat with Esme. We have plenty of time.", Bella argued and Alice grumbles in defeat, already turning into the street were her boyfriend Jasper lives to pick him up, too.

The three of them were heading towards Port Angeles Community Center, where they anticipated the yearly theater-workshop. Every year the three high schools of Forks, Port Angeles and the Indian Reservation down La Push collaborated to develop a children's play, which gets presented several times around Christmas in each town. It was always a lot of work, rehearsals every Thursday evening and many Saturdays as well, but Bella got to enjoy this work quite a lot, after initial doubts.

Last year Alice's enthusiasm had convinced her to participate. First she just thought about helping with the stage settings and costumes, just like Jasper did lights and special effects, but the stage director, Esme, coaxed her into a minor role and Bella had not only fun, but got quite positive responses for her acting abilities.

"So, anyone knows, who gonna be there?", Alice asked.

"Sue said, that Sam, Jake an Leah from the reservation are in again.", Bella told them. Sue was Quileute and quite well informed was going on in La Push. Bella knew Jake since her baby days, but after he hit puberty, he constantly tried to hit on her. She didn't see him very much these days, for exact that reason.

"I mailed Emmett.", Jasper added. "He said he and Rose are in, too. And Rose's brother Edward got to play the synthesizer this year constantly- remember him? He did it once last year, when Chris got ill."

Alice and Bella nodded. While Bella knew the kids from La Push before the workshop, they got to know Emmett and Rosalie there and got to be great friends, though they hardly saw each other through the year. Bella had found it odd at first to befriend with them, or rather being befriended with them, since Em and Rose were the perfect example for the stereotypical all-American couple, her being a blond, statuesque cheerleader and him being the well built handsome football-player, but the neutral ground of the workshop made it possible to get to know them and find out they were rather nice people, just as Edward, as far as they got to know him.

Just as Bella had predicted they arrived good twenty minutes early and were the first ones, who occupied the parking lot, despite Esme's Mercedes. As they entered Esme was in the process of srting the scripts.

"Alice, Bella Jasper!", she exclaimed happily and embraced each of them in a warm hug. "I'm glad to see you again this years, I've git very nice roles for you. How are you?"

They chatted while helping Esme setting up the chairs in a lose circle for the first meeting, which was mostly to give information and planning.

Suddenly the room was filled with a load roar. "Ally-cat, Jelly-belly, Jazzy-boy1" Bella found herself in a bone-crushing hug of the giant, known as Emmett. "Great to see my favorite Forks citizen's."

"Can't – breathe!", Bella managed and was instantly released.

Em smiled apologetically, but rolled his eyes. "those Forks girls have to eat more.", he declared looking at Jasper. "Look at that two midgets, barely scraping five feet, my Rosie enjoys my hugs. OW!", he exclaimed as both, Alice and Bella, punched him into his bizeps, then turned to Jasper who was chuckling as well.

"Please have mercy!", he held up his hands in defeat. "I was laughing at Em, not at you." He leaned closer to Alice. "I myself enjoy your size quite a lot."

His attempts of charm succeeded just partially. Alice refrained from hitting him, but huffed in irritation.

"Seems to me the size doesn't matter, they own your balls just as thoroughly as Rose does.", a velvety voice from behind remarked.

Bella turned and saw Edward grinning. She waved. "Hi!" He looked different from last year, she noticed, but found the changer rather pleasant. Gaining muscles and escaping his lankiness a bit, but his strange bronze hair, was just as mussed as ever and the green eyes still had a piercing quality.

"Hey Edward!", Alice greeted, too. "Where's your sister, or are you driving separately. Think of your carbon footprint.", she scolded teasingly.

Edward's expression seemed to darken for a second, but he looked normal as soon as Bella noticed, so she couldn't was not sure. "She's got an – appointment, so she is excused for today."

"Huh, I thought the first meeting was mandatory.", Alice murmured, but was interrupted by Esme, who clapped in her hands to get started.

"Welcome to 2009's theater- workshop, I am happy that you all found your way, recidivists as well as novices.", she started with her trademark kind smile and much enthusiasm. "This year's play is "The paper bag Princess" a lovely fairy tale with a lot of potential." She started handing out the scripts. "I want you all to read it and don't be afraid to bring in your ideas: songs, additional scenes, change of text, almost everything is possible, we'll discuss it together." She explained then the schedule for the next weeks. First rehearsals were held on Thursdays while Saturdays were dedicated to put together the costumes and stage settings. The first optional for the technicians, while the latter was off duty for the rest of the ensemble.

Just as last year Esme already distributed the bigger roles to the one's she knew, the newbies would be casted later that evening and distributed to the vacant parts. Just like that the first meeting was over and everyone huddled around the small list, where the cast was listed.

Rose got to play the princess, a obvious choice, since she was not only a great actress but also almost painfully beautiful. Emmett was chosen to be a dragon, a great choice, too, just for his enormous size. Alice got to play a jester and Bella herself was quite happy with her role as the princess's maid. She was surprised, however, that she was also listed as the understudy of the princess, since she looked nothing like Rose. But after all it was highly unlikely that she ever actually got to play this role, so nothing to worry.

**I hope you enjoyed this quite a bit. It is a first, so to get into the practice I chose to write a story loosely based on a novel I enjoyed when I was a teenager "Generalprobe" by Bianka Minte-König. I found myself rather challenged by the whole acting/theater vocabulary, so if you find some things odd, please tell me.**


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